The Properties of an Aluminum/UV-Curable, Infrared, Low-Emissivity Coating Modified by Nano-Silica Slurry

Abstract

To improve the performances of UV-curable coatings, the effects of nano-silica slurry, aluminum and UV-curing time on the glossiness and infrared emissivity of UV-curable coatings were investigated by orthogonal experiments. The results showed that UV-curing time is a key factor affecting the performance of the coating. When the UV-curing time was increased from 30 to 360 s, the glossiness of the UV-curable coating slowly decreased from 11.1% to 9.0%. The L’ value decreased from 78.6 to 75.0. The infrared emissivity of the coating with UV-curing time of 180 s was 0.106, which was the lowest. The coating hardness with different curing time was 6H. The coating roughness was high when the UV-curing time was 30–120 s. When the UV-curing time was greater than 300 s, the coating adhesion was 0 and the coating had the best impact resistance of 500 N/cm. The overall performance of the aluminum/UV-curable coating was optimal when the UV-curing time was 180 s. This research is able to promote the industrial development of UV-curable, infrared, low-emissivity coatings.